Ghostly Stroll
by hails123
Summary: Ever wondered what really happened to the Bloody Baron and the Grey Lady? You're about to find out. Rated M for violence.


The day started as any other for Helena Ravenclaw, otherwise known as the Grey Lady. Floating peacefully about the castle had become her favorite pastime as of late. As if a ghost had many pastimes. This particular ghost, however, did not wish for anything idle and wasteful such as tormenting students of the school she resided in or fascinating them with her life's stories. No, she wished to wander on her lonesome for she felt that her ghostliness was bestowed upon her so she could constantly think of the terrible things she'd done during life.

Floating about and not bothering a living being is what she did for the better part of her day. Notice I say "living being". It seems a fellow ghost is quite troubled as well and cannot help but discreetly watch and follow the graceful ghostess. It's no wonder he is the Slytherin House ghost because he still has yet to summon the courage to approach her. Evidently the only the Bloody Baron is scared of is confrontation.

By about midday, though, he silently glides up to her.

"Hello, Helena," he murmurs bringing her out of her depressing thoughts.

"Hello, Baron."

"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking a float around the Black Lake."

"That sounds lovely," she politely replies.

As she accompanied the intimidating to all but her baron, she couldn't help but think of their demise.

She ran and ran for fear that she was being followed. No one must ever know what she has done. Tree by tree passed her as she flew through the forest. Soon, she would need to rest or be overcome with fatigue.

Sitting down on a rock in a little clearing, Helena Ravenclaw set the circlet down and troubled her mind with ponderings of past events. A few years ago she stole her mother's precious diadem; however, Rowena kept it under wraps to hide her own daughter's betrayal. Since then, Helena has kept hidden in a forest in Albania. She made herself quite a lovely home in a little clearing near a stream. Her home was of logs and a thatched roof. Living by herself had been quite peaceful until this morning.

Fetching the day's water from the babbling stream was disturbed by a noise in the distance. Someone was calling for her. Helena dropped the pail and raced to her cottage to retrieve the sacred tiara. She ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction of the voice.

Still on the small boulder, Helena listened to her surroundings for any sign of the mysterious visitor. In the distance a ways she could hear the quick footfalls of someone running. Deciding she had enough of a breather, Helena resumed her escape. A few hundred feet more she found a hollowed out tree. She quickly stashed the coveted diadem in the inconspicuous hole figuring she was better off without it for the time-being. She would return to it after losing her pursuer. Helena set off again, only this time she wasn't so rushed. She came to another little clearing much like her own and nearly collapsed on the lush grass. Fatigue had finally claimed her.

As she lay with her cheek against the cool grass, she heard the steady thumps of running grow closer. She sat up and looked around to discern which direction they were coming from. All she could see, however, was miles and miles of lush greenery in any direction. The forest was eerily quiet in anticipation for what was come.

Focusing her eyes a tad better, Helena finally saw a man lumbering through the trees. She quickly realized it was her fiancé from back home, or perhaps the home she left. She stood to await his arrival into the clearing.

"My lady! Please! Don't run!" he pleaded loudly.

He caught up and doubled over to catch his breath.

"My lord? Why are you here?" Helena's curiosity consumed her.

"Your mother—" he said between huffs, "—is ill and wishes to see you one last time."

"I am sorry, but I cannot do that," Helena whispered regretfully.

"What?!?" the baron demanded after fully regaining his composure.

"I am not going back. You can't make me," Helena said defiantly.

"But that is why I have been sent here! To bring you home!"

"That is no longer my home. I am not leaving here until my soul departs with this earth."

"Please, my lady, don't make arrange that for you."

"Do as you wish, but I absolutely cannot leave after having a taste of what freedom is like," Helena said as she started to dance around the clearing.

"Helena, you're speaking insanely. You are coming with me, and we are going to get married," the baron grabbed for her arm in mid-dance.

Helena tried to pull free of his grasp. "Let go of me!"

He proceeded to drag her in the direction he thought he came from whilst she proceeded to grab a rock from the ground. Helena threw it at his head and only hit his shoulder. The baron released his hold on her and turned around in fury. As he was about to yell something in rage, she threw another rock and hit him squarely in the forehead causing blood to gush down his face.

"I said I am not going with you," Helena stated completely enraged at this point.

"Oh you're coming with me all right, if I have to drag your cold, lifeless body," he threatened as he stepped towards her, his hand on his knife's holster.

Helena spat at his feet, "Fine, it would be better than living with you, a selfish brute, for the rest of my life."

He reached for her again, and she slapped him across his face. He was quick, though, and slashed out at her with his knife. The knife caught her dress but not her. She froze in surprise as he lashed out again and fully plunged the dagger into her chest. Helena fell back with her eyes wide open and a small "o" upon her lips.

The thud of her body hitting the ground brought the baron out of his rage-induced trance. He looked down at her lifeless figure and felt wave after wave of agony from killing his one true love. A cry emitted from his own lips as he bent over to retrieve the blade from his loved one's chest. Looking up at the sky, he thrust the same, bloody blade into his own heart.

The two ghosts finally reached the Black Lake. The Grey Lady and Bloody Baron gazed at each other in silence for both knew what the other was thinking. Neither, in fact, wished to utter a single word. They just glided easily along the edge of the magnificent lake side-by-side. When they decided to turn back to the castle, the Grey Lady halted.

"Baron? That was nice; we should do this more often," she stated tentatively.

He looked back at her and nodded, "Yes, we should."

And so began many more floatings around the Black Lake between two old friends who at one time were lovers.


End file.
